The first cat café in the world opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998. From there they spread to Japan and also Hong Kong and then all over the world (including even Reykjavik, Iceland). The first in North America was in Montreal, and the first in the U.S in Oakland, California.

Also, Tree House Humane Society, which was supposed to be the first cat café in Chicago, has opened their sleek new shelter/adoption facility near me, but the café aspect of it seems to have been delayed by health department regulations, something that has hampered the growth of cat cafés in the U.S. in general. Meanwhile, there seems to be no such problem in Japan: <https://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/02/22/a-guide-to-tokyos-best-cat-cafés/>.